--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know that the writers I read and admire…" description: "\"I know that the writers I read and admire all have an influence on my work, but trying to determine to what degree any particular piece of input change..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/kevin-powers-9351_admire_i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admir_1241464.png" --- # I know that the writers I read and admire all have an… ![“I know that the writers I read and admire all have an influence on my work, but trying to determine to what degree any particular piece of input changes the way I think about writing seems counterproductive.” quote by Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/kevin-powers-9351_admire_i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admir_1241464.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/kevin-powers-9351_admire_i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admir_1241464.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/kevin-powers-9351_admire_i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admir_1241464.png) > “I know that the writers I read and admire all have an influence on my work, but trying to determine to what degree any particular piece of input changes the way I think about writing seems counterproductive.” [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledging influences is useful, but obsessively quantifying them can hinder creativity. **In simple terms:** Don't overanalyze influences. Key Takeaway Focus on original expression. Themes creativity influence writing Mood introspective creative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - author workshops - creative journaling - literary analysis Key Concepts intertextuality artistic development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance inspiration with originality? - What influences shape your voice? A Different Perspective Overemphasis may stifle originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) [Counterproductive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterproductive/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Determine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determine/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influence Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-work-2793095/) [Input](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/input/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Think Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-writing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-read-451813/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Counterproductive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-counterproductive-3877615/) ## Related quotes > [I write from seven to about noon. I used to try to write longer, but I read and I found that I was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/i-write-from-seven-to-about-noon-i-used-to-try-to-write-longer-but-i/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [The real influence on my work was reality, that of my country and Latin America in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-benedetti/the-real-influence-on-my-work-was-reality-that-of-my-country-and/) [Mario Benedetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-benedetti/) > [It's all about the mood I'm in and the scene I'm writing. 'Cause work controls my life, writing controls my life, performing controls my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemon-andersen/it-s-all-about-the-mood-i-m-in-and-the-scene-i-m-writing-cause-work/) [Lemon Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemon-andersen/) > [Anything you read can influence your work, so I try to read good stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/anything-you-read-can-influence-your-work-so-i-try-to-read-good-stuff/) [S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/) > [I really appreciate artists of the 20th century, and I can see a lot of their influence on my work, but to suggest that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arad/i-really-appreciate-artists-of-the-20th-century-and-i-can-see-a-lot/) [Michael Arad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arad/) > [I really don't see any influence of my work on any artists. But I do think I've had an influence on drawings' being shown.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-pettibon/i-really-don-t-see-any-influence-of-my-work-on-any-artists-but-i-do/) [Raymond Pettibon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-pettibon/) > [There is a branding influence on my work. But there's nothing really new about people as brands. The only difference is the scale and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noma-bar/there-is-a-branding-influence-on-my-work-but-there-s-nothing-really/) [Noma Bar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noma-bar/) > [“Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/proactive-people-focus-their-efforts-in-the-circle-of-influence-they-2/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [Agnes Martin is a big influence in my work actually, when I first saw her, these fine grids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/agnes-martin-is-a-big-influence-in-my-work-actually-when-i-first-saw/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [I think politics has an influence on my work now, perhaps more so than when I was a childless young man, but I hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-think-politics-has-an-influence-on-my-work-now-perhaps-more-so-than/) [Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/) > [You can be a model to the masses, but to go to the higher levels of influence, you have to work with individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/you-can-be-a-model-to-the-masses-but-to-go-to-the-higher-levels-of/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Music is a big influence in my work and sometimes drives the energy of where I want to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemon-andersen/music-is-a-big-influence-in-my-work-and-sometimes-drives-the-energy/) [Lemon Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemon-andersen/) > [Writers read essays and serious thinkers and serious readers... that is a small population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/writers-read-essays-and-serious-thinkers-and-serious-readers-that-is/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“Best advice to writers - Read, write, read, write - repeat!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-cain/best-advice-to-writers-read-write-read-write-repeat/) [Lilly Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-cain/) > [For any writers at all, read everything you can and then put your butt in the chair and write. That's all there is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/for-any-writers-at-all-read-everything-you-can-and-then-put-your-butt/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) ## More by Kevin Powers > [There is a sharp distinction between what is remembered, what is told and what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/there-is-a-sharp-distinction-between-what-is-remembered-what-is-told/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [I guess I find the boundaries between poetry and prose to be somewhat permeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-guess-i-find-the-boundaries-between-poetry-and-prose-to-be-somewhat/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“I didn't want to be responsible for him. I had enough to worry about. I was disintegrating, too. How was I supposed to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-didn-t-want-to-be-responsible-for-him-i-had-enough-to-worry-about-i/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [I had the feeling that if I encountered anyone they would intuit my disgrace and would judge me instantly. Nothing is more isolating than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-had-the-feeling-that-if-i-encountered-anyone-they-would-intuit-my/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“Through those drooping branches the city sprawled out haphazardly like a drunk on a sidewalk, fallen where he may.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/through-those-drooping-branches-the-city-sprawled-out-haphazardly/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“I've come to accept that parts of life are constant, that just because something happens on two different days doesn't make it a goddamn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-ve-come-to-accept-that-parts-of-life-are-constant-that-just-because/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [I think a lot of the guys I know and a lot of people I've talked to, what they want is very often what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-think-a-lot-of-the-guys-i-know-and-a-lot-of-people-i-ve-talked-to/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [The war tried to kill us in the spring. As grass greened the plains of Nineveh and the weather warmed, we patrolled the low-slung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/the-war-tried-to-kill-us-in-the-spring-as-grass-greened-the-plains-of/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“People are going to die," he said flatly. "It's statistics." Then he got up and left the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/people-are-going-to-die-he-said-flatly-it-s-statistics-then-he-got-up/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“It's lovely to think that snow can be special. we're always told it is. Of all those million million flakes that fall, no two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/it-s-lovely-to-think-that-snow-can-be-special-we-re-always-told-it-is/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [The details of the world in which we live are always secondary to the fact that we must live in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/the-details-of-the-world-in-which-we-live-are-always-secondary-to-the/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [It reminded me of talking, how what is said is never quite what was thought, and what is heard is never quite what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/it-reminded-me-of-talking-how-what-is-said-is-never-quite-what-was/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“He waited, as if waiting for whichever last shadow would cause evening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/he-waited-as-if-waiting-for-whichever-last-shadow-would-cause-evening/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“A moment is never long enough to account for tragedy when you are in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/a-moment-is-never-long-enough-to-account-for-tragedy-when-you-are-in/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“I smelled the clean house and the wood-frame bed. It was all filler. The noise, the sound, they existed just to take up space.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-smelled-the-clean-house-and-the-wood-frame-bed-it-was-all-filler/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) [Explore all 73 Kevin Powers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) ## More Admire quotes > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/) [Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/) [Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know that the writers I read and admire all have an influence on my work, but trying to determine to what degree any particular piece of input changes the way I think about writing seems counterproductive.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Powers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admire-all-have-an-influence-on-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Admire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admire-all-have-an-influence-on-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/kevin-powers-9351_admire_i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admir_1241464.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/kevin-powers-9351_admire_i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admir_1241464.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/kevin-powers-9351_admire_i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admir_1241464.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know that the writers I read and admire all have an influence on my work, but trying to determine to what…” — Kevin Powers", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kevin Powers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I know that the writers I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admire-all-have-an-influence-on-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-know-that-the-writers-i-read-and-admire-all-have-an-influence-on-my/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```